Increasingly, medical and dental practitioners are being required to use optical instrumentation to assist in certain procedures. During surgery, for example, magnifying loupes are often used during delicate operations, and typically these are used in conjunction with high-intensity lamps, which may be worn on the person of the medical professional. The same holds true of dental practitioners. In addition to higher-powered optical instruments and high-intensity lamps, such individuals may also use CCD cameras, or splash guards to protect against communicable diseases such as AIDS. Some or all of these or other devices may also be used in conjunction with prescription eyeglasses, which may incorporate integral or supplemental filters associated with protection against certain wavelengths of light, as might be encountered through the use laser surgery, for example.
With the introduction of these various instruments and accessories, it has become increasingly important to provide mounting assemblies which are lightweight and versatile, to ensure that a given user will be both comfortable and able to adjust whatever device is being used in accordance with that individual's preference.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,263, entitled FIVE-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM OCULAR MOUNTING ASSEMBLY, which is incorporated herein by reference, is directed toward a very versatile adjustment mechanism that can be used in conjunction with a pair of eyeglass frames or a headband mount, to ensure that a pair of oculars may be adjusted by a user in multiple dimensions to ensure correct magnification, while providing a flip-up capability during periods of non-use. The present invention further emphasizes, and in some cases, extends the teachings of this patent, with a particular emphasis on headband mounting of eyeglass lenses, frames and oculars, depending upon the circumstances surrounding a particular application.